Automobile accessory



March 25 1924. ,488;254

, B. F. JOHNSON AUTOMOBILE ACCES SORY Filed May 19. 1921 (9 l/VVE/VTOR IBY MTORIVEVJ Patent ed Mar. 25, 1924.

UNI-TED STATES BERNARD F. JOHNSON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

AUTOMOBILE ACCESSORY.

Application filed May 19, 1921. Serial No. 170,913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. BERNARD F. JoHN- I SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Jersey City, in the county of'Hudson and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAutomobile Accessories, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.-

In the operation of automobiles, difliculty is often experienced becauseof clogging of the oil or fuel supply pipes,'such as may be caused, forexample, by lint frequently found in gasoline and oil, which conditionis sometimes difli cult to detect or remedy and may necessitate takingdown or removing the piping.

An objectof the invention is to provide an accessory for automobileswhich will enable a motorist to quickly ascertain if an obstructionexists in a small conduit or pipe and if so to facilitate and assist itsremoval, which enables the convenient withdrawal of gasoline or oil whena quantity is desired for priming, cleaning spark plugs, or variousother purposes, which may be embodied or used with present constructionswith lit-v tle or no material changes therein, which occupies littlespace and adds little weight, and which is simple, reliable, durable,convenient and inexpensive. Other objects and advantages will beapparent from the following description of an embodiment of r theinvention and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointedout in claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a schematic elevation of certain parts of an automobile andshowing one manner in which my invention is embodied therein and used,

Fig. 2 is a section through the multi-way valve, showing the normalposition of its movable part when the sections of the pipe 5 areconnected to one another.

Figs. 3 and 4 show similar sections with the valve parts connecting thebranch pipe to either section of the pipe 5 and interruptingcommunication between the sections of the latter, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the movable element of the valve.

In the illustrated arrangement wherein the accessory is utilized inconnection with the gravity feeding line between the gasoline tank andthe carbureter, the storage tank 1 for the gasoline is connected throughthe usual shut off valve 2 with a small settling compartment 3 having apet cook or valve 4 in its bottom to'drain the gasoline from the storagetank or to facilitate the removal of finely divided solids which getintothe tank and settle to the bottom of the compartment 3 as th gasolinepasses there through. T he supply pipe 5 leads from the compartment 3 atone side thereof and a suitable screen 6 is provided at the entrance tothe pipe 5 to prevent the-passageinto the supply pipe of lint and othersolids which may clog or obstruct the pipe or carbureter.

This screen soon becomes clogged with lint and such other solids as maybe suspended in the gasoline and prevents or seriously hinders thepassage of the gasoline to the pipe with the result that the enginefails to act properly without any definite indication of the cause. Thepipe 5 leads to a carbureter 7 of any suitable construction andinterposed in the pipe at a point, adjacent the carbureter, is amulti-way valve 8,

which, in addition to its connections to the sections of the supply pipebetween which it is interposed, is provided with a branch pipeconnection 9 having an open end.

A pipe 10, which may conveniently comprise a flexible rubber hose, isprovided at one end with a connector 11 which can be pressed over theuncovered valve stem 12 of an inflated tire 13. The tire may either beone of the tires in use or a square inflated tire such as commonlycarried for emergency use. The connector 11 is provided with a pin 14which enters the valve stem when the connector is applied thereto anddepresses the valve piston so as to admit air from the inflated tire tothe pipe 10. The other. end of the pipe is provided with a manuallyoperated valve 15 and a terminal 16 by which the pipe 10 may beconveniently connected to the branch pipe 9. r

The valve comprises a casing 17 in which a frustro-conical valve element18 is rotatably mounted. The element 18 has a groove 19 across the same,extending slightly over half the circumference, and with a passage 20 inthe same plane with the groove 19 but extending from the inner wall ofthe groove obliquely outward to the periphery. The groove and passageare in the plane of the passages connecting the interior of the valvecasing to the pipes 5 and 9. The stem 21 of the valve element 18 carriesan indicator arm 22, and an operating button are 23 by means of whichthe valve is manipulated. The casing is provided with pins 2-l and 25for limiting the extreme movements of the indicator arm. A s ring washer(not shown) acting between t \e casing and an end of the valve elementmay frictionally hold the latter in adjusted positions. The arm 22 is ina position at right angles to the main supply pipe sections 5 when thesesections are in communication, this position is produced, the indicationis that no obstruction exists in that section of the supply pipe. If thestorage tank contains fuel and it fails to run out through the branch 9,an'obstruction is indicated. Any convenient source of pressure may beconnected to the branch 9 to remove the obstruction] For example an airpump may be connected to the branch 9 which will blow loose thecollection of solids upon the screen 6 or remove other obstructions. Thepumps often fail to provide the necessary pressure and therefore thepipe 10 may be connected between the valve of an inflated tire and thebranch 9. Upon an operation of the valve 15 the pressure of the tirewhich is usually around lbs. per square inch will be imparted to theclogged section and force out the obstruction. When the obstruction hasbeen forced from the pipe into chamber 3 it may be removed therefromthrough the cook or valve 4. The valve 8 may then be returned tointermediate position to re-connect the sections of the supply pipe 5 asbefore. By a movement of the operating button 23 clockwise until theindicating arm engages pin 25 the section between valve and the storagetank will be closed and the branch connected to the other section of thesupply pipe and permit of the application of pressure thereto to removeobstructions in a similar manner. The amount of air used from a tire isvery small and will not be suflicient to render it too soft for use. Thepipe 10 with attachements on its ends occupy little space and can beconveniently carried in the tool box.

It will be obvious that the principle herein disclosed may also beemployed in the removal of obstructions from the oil pipes, and thatvarious changes inthe details and arrangement of parts may be made bythose skilled in the art within the principle and scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In an automobile having a conduit for conveying a liquid from onepoint to another, a valve interposed in said conduit and having a,branch leading therefrom, said valve beingfnanually operable to aplurality of positions, in one of which the sections of the conduitbetween which it is interposed are connected and the branch is closed,and in another of which communication between the sections is closed andthe branch is connected to one of the sections, and a device adapted tobe interposed between the valve of an inflated tire of the automobileand the branch for transmitting the pressure ofthe tire to a section ofthe conduit through" the branch and valve to blow out any obstruction insaid conduit.

2. In an automobile having a conduit for conveying a liquid from onepoint to another, a valve interposed in said conduit and having a branchleading therefrom, said valve being manually operable to a plurality ofpositions, in one of which the sections of the conduit between which itis interposed are connected and the branch is closed, and in another ofwhich communication between the sections is closed and the branch isconnected to one of the sections, and a device adapted to be interposedbetween the valve of an inflated tire of the automobile and the branchfor transmitting the pressure of the tire to a section of the conduitthrough the branch and valve to blow out any obstruction in saidconduit, said device having therein a manually controlled valve forcontrolling the passage of air from the tire to the branch.

3. An accessory for automobiles having an inflated pneumatic tire, afuel storage tank, a carburetor, and a supply pipe connecting the tankand carbureter, comprising a multi-way valve interposed in said supplypipe adjacent the carbureter, a branch pipe connected to the valve, saidvalve being adapted when in one position to connect the two sections ofthe supply pipe and close the branch pipe. and when in another positionto connect the branch pipe with the section of the pipe leading from thetank to the valve, and a device for interposition between the tire andbranch pipe whereby when the valve is in a position to connect thesupply pipe to the branch pipe, the pressure of the tire will betransmitted through the supply pipe towards the storage tank to removeobstructions in the supply pipe.

4. A11 accessory for automobiles having an inflated pneumatic tire, afuel storage tank, a carbureter, and a supply pipe connecting the tankand carbureter. comprising a multiway valve inter osed in said supplypipe adjacent the car ureter, a branch pipe connected to the valve, saidvalve being adapted when in one position to connect the two sections ofthe supply pipe and close the branch pipe, and when in another positionto connect the branch pipe with the section of the pipe leading from thetank to the valve, and a device for interposition between the tire andbranch pipe whereby when the valve is in a position to connect thesupply pipe to the branch pipe, the pressure of the tire will betransmitted through the supply pipe towards the storage tank to removeobstructions in the supply pipe,

, said device having therein a manually controlled valve for controllingthe admission of air from the tire to the branch pipe.

5. An accessory for automobiles comprising a conduit device, at least aportion of which is flexible, a coupling element at one end forattaching the conduit device to a valve of a tire and holding the valveopen during the attachment, a valve interposed in said conduit device,said device having at its other end a terminal permitting attachment toa liquid conveying pipe to be cleaned by the admission of the air of thetire to the pipe.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my signature.

BERNARD F. JOHNSON.

